Is There a Safe Dose of Alcohol? | Dr Mikki Williden

Is there a safe dose of alcohol? Headlines say no. The biggest meta-analysis on alcohol and death says something more nuanced. Dr Cliff Harvey sits down with longtime collaborator Dr Mikki Williden to separate "no healthy dose" from "no safe dose", and to work out what a sensible, evidence-based drinking pattern looks like for people who enjoy the odd drink. In this episode we cover: Why alcohol is such a divisive topic, and why both apologists and absolutists get the evidence wrong What the Zhao et al. (2023) meta-analysis of 107 cohort studies found on all-cause mortality Why cancer risk is where the case for "no safe dose" is strongest Relative vs absolute risk, and how to read a 3% or 20% increase Abstainer bias: why non-drinkers once looked less healthy than light drinkers How diet, exercise and a Mediterranean-style drinking pattern change the picture Why zero-tolerance messaging can erode trust The practical take-home: a drinking pattern that sits well inside the risk thresholds Chapters: 00:00 Why alcohol is such a polarising health topic 01:25 Why Mikki is the right person to discuss the evidence 03:17 Tracking health metrics without obsession 07:39 Why steps and movement matter more than fitness dogma 09:02 Do strength training and jiu-jitsu count as cardio? 12:53 Why more carbs improved Mikki's running and recovery 15:47 Why low carb and high carb can both work 20:34 Horses for courses: matching diet to the goal and season 23:30 Why "what if they did even better?" is a weak argument 25:25 Back to alcohol and mortality 30:07 Why mortality is the right place to start 32:11 What the major meta-analysis found on all-cause mortality 35:09 Why cancer changes the conversation 38:01 How alcohol-related cancer risk is usually presented 40:19 Relative risk vs absolute risk explained 42:13 Why cancer studies often use broad intake categories 43:46 Drinking frequency and binge patterns 44:46 Abstainer bias: why non-drinkers looked worse 47:11 Residual confounding and why no study is perfect 49:07 How physical activity and Mediterranean habits reduce risk 50:43 No healthy dose, but maybe a safe dose 55:56 How drinking culture has shifted 58:16 Functional drinking and underestimated intake 1:02:36 Why zero-tolerance messaging erodes trust 1:04:51 Alcohol with food, and why culture affects outcomes 1:08:13 Personal tolerance, nickel sensitivity and congeners 1:10:11 Social lubrication, behaviour and context 1:12:07 The biggest health levers may not be alcohol 1:14:03 How mindfulness, sleep and behaviour ripple across health 1:15:31 The practical middle ground on alcohol 1:17:09 Where to find Mikki and the Holistic Performance Institute About Dr Mikki Williden Dr Mikki Williden is a New Zealand nutritionist with a PhD in nutrition, a former AUT lecturer, and host of the Mikkipedia podcast. She runs coaching and programmes for people who want evidence-based nutrition that fits real life, and is a long-term contributor to the Holistic Performance Institute. Find Mikki: Website https://mikkiwilliden.com · Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikkiwilliden/ · Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition · Mikkipedia <a href="https://podcast.mikkiwilliden.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" targe